Leclerc admits Ferrari FEARS over Red Bull amid unexpected surprises
Leclerc admits Ferrari FEARS over Red Bull amid unexpected surprises
Charles Leclerc has spoken about the significant gap that Red Bull holds over the rest of the teams, especially in race pace, but he remains confident that upgrades can bring them closer.
The Monegasque driver has secured three podiums before the summer break and is currently fifth in the championship, tied on points with George Russell. Up until the rise of McLaren, Ferrari has been behind Red Bull, Alonso's Aston Martin, and Mercedes, with a car that lacked race pace in some rounds.
Nevertheless, the midfield battle has remained very close, and the teams' performances have varied significantly depending on the characteristics of each circuit, except for Red Bull, which continues to maintain a substantial lead over the rest.
This has been particularly evident in races, where Verstappen has secured victories with leads of over 20 seconds, as in qualifying, rivals have often been very close, a fact highlighted by Leclerc.
READ MORE: Leclerc has his say on TENSE RELATIONSHIP with F1 team-mate
"We are trying to work towards catching Red Bull but it's a big margin. It's going to be very difficult to catch them before the change of regulations," said Leclerc, speaking to Sky Sports.
"It's different than in the past. In qualifying, we are much closer than what we have seen in the past. Normally, when we see a team dominating, it was in qualifying and the race.
"With Red Bull now, it's much more in the race than qualifying - the gaps are bigger in the race compared to qualifying. That's why we are all working towards our race pace because Red Bull is so far ahead. There is a lot of work to do. We will have some development in the next few races that can help us do a step forward."
Leclerc expects unexpected surprises
With such a tight grid, the race for upgrades will be key in the second half of the season. This could lead to unexpected results, as we have already seen with McLaren, which which has gone from being one of the slowest teams to the second fastest in the last few races.
Leclerc hopes that something similar can happen with them and remains optimistic for the upcoming races.
"Also with this car, we can have some unexpected surprises because they are so sensitive and a small change can have a big difference. Hopefully, this is the case for us," he said.
READ MORE: Former team boss says Ferrari driver is READY to win a world championship
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: Incredible Verstappen exit clause reignites F1 rival talks as Mercedes milestone reveals shock RED livery
- 1 hour ago
Horner outlines Ricciardo target to save F1 dream as major Newey announcement made - GPFans F1 Recap
- Yesterday 23:57
Mercedes reveal shock RED livery to celebrate historic milestone
- Yesterday 22:57
Ricciardo makes five-race admission in bid to survive F1 axe
- Yesterday 21:57
Red Bull is 'burning' after Horner and Marko display
- Yesterday 20:57
Red Bull announce strong statement over Newey departure claims
- Yesterday 19:57
Related news
Big name driver 'very angry internally' after controversial battle
Ferrari F1 star concedes key advantage in crucial team-mate battle
Leclerc hints at early F1 RETIREMENT
Leclerc unveils AMAZING tribute for Bianchi tragedy
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860